


How far we've come

by Kraraz



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, I'm Bad At Tagging, Kuro is the clone but he doesn't know about it, Lance does more math, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining, Post Season 3, a lot of headcanons come to life, also, ill uptade tags later, keith and lance are bros, neither does anyone else, overuse of "hey man", ugughhhh, ye
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-13 05:10:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11752722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kraraz/pseuds/Kraraz
Summary: Team Voltron has one mission: stop new Emperor and the Galra from taking over the entire universe.Shiro tries to figure out who he is once again.Keith is getting used to his position as a leader.Lotor has other plans.





	1. Chapter 1

_Interlude_

  
_The time has come. They spent all this time waiting, patiently, tirelessly. They were ready now, united, and there was nothing that could defeat them._  
_They felt rather than saw something ripping through the endless, blindingly white surroundings._

  
_An intruder._

_They came closer together, waiting for an unsuspecting prey, ready to ambush. This time they were ready._  
_The time has come._

 

Keith stopped pacing through his room and for a change decided to start wandering aimlessly through the corridors of the Castle of Lions. His head felt heavy with thoughts.  
Coran’s story gave him some closure on what Lotor was up to but there still were more questions than answers. What had he wanted to do with the teludav? What exactly was the quintessence? Could Voltron open rifts to another worlds? And if so, could Lotor’s new ship do the same? What were they, the Paladins, supposed to do now?

  
And finally, was he still the leader? After all Shiro was back, and Keith couldn’t be happier and more relieved, though he wouldn’t admit it out loud. Shiro knew anyway. He always had a talent for reading Keith.

  
The fact that he was back greatly complicated things and the fact that Black didn’t respond to Shiro made him feel even more uneasy. Keith was now the Black Paladin wasn’t he? It was final.  
It didn’t change the fact that his legs carried him not to Black’s hangar, but to Red’s.

  
He wasn’t sure what to expect. She looked just like she always did. Majestic, and unmoving, like a statue. If he wasn’t the one to fly, and fight with her not so long ago, he would have trouble imagining how machine so stoic can be so fast and powerful.

  
“Hey girl” he approached Red, gently touching her metallic paw. Keith tried to ignore the feeling of disappointment when he couldn’t feel her comforting presence in his mind. She had saved him, so many times, and he couldn’t be more grateful for the time they spent together. He missed Red, badly, though he would never admit it to Lance. To be her paladin he had to prove himself once, but while flying the Black Lion felt like he had to prove himself over and over again, with every move and attack.

  
“Burden of a leader, huh?” he thought bitterly, sliding his fingers against cool metal of her claws. He squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to calm his nerves, but the overwhelming feeling of responsibility and new expectations he stood before dawned on him again. He wasn’t doing great as a Black Paladin, and even Shiro, the same person that wanted him in this position admitted that. He felt like he had disappointed all of his friends.

  
Suddenly he sensed, and heard Red moving, and when he opened his eyes he saw her giant nose, right in front of him, just barely grazing his forehead. “I miss you too” he chuckled, and pressed his head against her. Just then he felt familiar presence in his mind. Red Lion connected with him, and through their shared bond he felt comfort and… pride?  
None of the Paladins knew exactly how the Lion’s worked, and from what Coran has said even their creator didn’t, and the way they communicated, or felt was way different from they did, but Keith knew that Red was trying to comfort him, and he felt grateful for it.

  
“Oh. My. Quiznack. I canno’t believe, first you get Red, then you try to steal Blue from me, and now that you have the Black Lion you’re making a move on MY Red too?”. Keith groaned, annoyed, as Lance marched towards him, waving his hands with indignation.

  
“I’m not trying to steal anything from you, just… wanted to talk” he sighed, resigned.

  
“Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure”. Lance finally halted, right next to Keith, with hands on his hips, and a pout on his face. “That’s what they all say, first is ” just talking“ and then you wake up on a different planet with no pants and magic-super-lion-spaceship.”

  
“Lance” Keith sighed. He didn’t really feel like engaging in their usual banter. He was too tired for that. Lance must have noticed because his expression softened, and he glanced at Red, that came back to her natural position, and then back at Keith.

  
“Hey man, you okay?”. Keith’s first instinct was to just say ’I’m fine’ but lately him and Lance became way more friendly. Also the fact that Lance have noticed and cared enough to ask said a lot.

  
“I dunno.” he shrugged “I’m tired, i guess. After we defeated Zarkon I knew it wasn’t all over but this… it feels like we’re far worse than when we started. Portals to other worlds, Lotor, all of that…” Keith sighed “… it’s messed up. I just hope we’re up to it”. _’Hope **I’m** up to it'_  he didn’t say out loud.

  
“Nah, we’re good. That’s our job, ya know, saving people, hunting bad guys. It all turns out alright in the end. Especially that Shiro is back with us.” Lance flashed him a wide smile.

  
Keith’s heart immediately felt lighter. Shiro was back. “Yeah.” Keith knew that before Black Lion had helped him find Shiro things weren’t… alright. He wasn’t. As much as happy he was that his best friend was back, the anger and grief that he felt when he disappeared again made Keith embarrassed, so he avoided him, hoping to avoid awkward conversations as well. It was just. Weird.

“See, we’ll figure out shit as we go, as always.” Lance elbowed him lightly with a chuckle. “Also. I know what you did back there.”

“Huh?”

  
“Before the mission, you offered to stay back. I’d thought that maybe you’d want Red back and… yeah.” He scratched his neck awkwardly. “I just wanted to say... thanks. I guess.”

Keith smiled. “Wouldn’t like to lose our 'cool ninja sharpshooter'” he said, in a playfully mocking tone.

  
“Wow man, it sounds so much lamer when you say it. Please never do that again.” Lance rolled his eyes. “Better go before your lamelessness rubs off on me. I bet you've got more important, bossy things to do. Go talk to Shiro, or something” He waved his fingers at Keith, turned on his heel and it was new Black Paladin’s turn to roll his eyes at his friend's behaviour. He watched as Lance happily headed into one of the corridors, in direction, as Keith suspected, of the Blue Lion. The sudden change did't lie well only with him, apparently.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hot diggity damn

As soon as Keith approached the door he could hear voices of his friends talking to each other.  
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you more on the last mission, I don't know why Black doesn't want to listen to me anymore." It was Shiro. Keith, very quietly, for some reason sneaked into the room, still listening to the talk that Shiro, Allura and Hunk were having, with their backs turned to him, all sitting on the common room couch.

"That's quite all right Shiro, don't worry. Your help from the Castle was invaluable" Allura assured him, without a hesitation.

"Yeah, though Keith did great job too, didn't he?" mentioned Hunk between bites of something, that Keith couldn't see. "He stopped freaking out so much, since you're back." Keith froze. Oh nooooo.  
"I have to admit, our chase after Lotor through Thayserix was..." Allura hesitated.

"Bad," finished Hunk.

Keith started backing out of the room.

"He's doing much better now. We should be all proud of him." Classic Shiro, Keith shook his head, always encouraging, looking for good in people. Even Keith. Even now, after all those years.

"Absolutely!" agreed Allura. "He held a lot of grief and anger inside of him. Now that you're back, he can focus better. Of course we were all worried but..." There was something weird and inquiring in her tone and Keith was having none of that so he took a step outside of the common room. His curiosity took the better of him though, so when Shiro spoke again he listened intently.

"Me and Keith...," Shiro cleared his throat "go back a long way. Wait, who's there?" All three paladins turned their heads.

The 'who' was Keith, and, instead of backing away soundly, he hit the door frame, making enough noise to draw attention to himself. Screaming internally at himself, he quickly distanced himself away of his three gossiping friends and headed towards the training room.

"Was that-?"

Oh quiznack.  
Keith sped up his stroll through the Castle's corridors, hoping that no one will come after him. He didn't mid his friends gossiping about him, he knew that they were right but... somehow this felt not right, and he didn't even mean Allura and Hunk complaining about his decision making. They were right, and he was doing everything to improve. But the three of them, talking about Keith's relationship with Shiro made him feel bare and uneasy.

Shiro was telling the truth, they went back a long way, starting at Garrison, back when Keith tried to keep his distance from everyone, with Shiro somehow getting through to him, breaking down the walls Keith had built around himself with time. How it had gone from Keith doing his best to keep away to this, he had no idea.

Lance was right, he was a loner, always keeping to himself. He couldn't remember his parents, but he remembered lonely and gray life at orphanage. There was something about not having past to hang onto. Like the lack of it was keeping him from becoming who he was supposed to be. That's why every hint of it was so important to him. That's why his Gala heritage hurt so much. Or used to.  
He never wanted relationships, because he could spare himself the pain of loosing people. Maybe it wads to do with his alien blood, or whatever else, but he was always better off alone.

Until he met Shiro.

There was always something unspoken about their relationship, and it took Keith time to admit it. Sometimes Keith wondered if the other knew, how much he meant to Keith, many times it felt like he was the only constant in his life.

And Keith had come to terms with that, long, long ago. A promise to save Shiro "as many times as it takes" was only a confirmation.  
And the fact that maybe, a long time ago, he might have wanted something more, never bothered him, at all.

 

_Interlude_

Lotor's steps echoed through the empty hallway, dim purple lights illuminating his face, stern and nearly perfect. Haggar's spies have informed her of his visit, and she knew that he knew about it as well. Two people in power, of the biggest army in the universe, tracking each others every move, gathering intel, playing their little game, far, far from the eyes of common soldiers that would be able to notice the disruption in the highest ranks of Galran command. No one could know about that. So even if Haggar, somehow, knew about who attacked the base where Throk was stationed... Even if, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Not yet.

They were the only players of their little game, and neither would have it any other way.

But Haggar knew that she was running out of time.

"Welcome, sire," she greeted him, with due respect as he entered her chambers, but didn't turn to face him.

Lotor ignored her turning instead to look at the table with various whirling alchemical instruments, and slid his finger along the lid of quintessence container. The cat caged in the far corner of the table hissed at him in anger. "I see you still entertain yourself with those experiments of yours, how fun," he said lightly. Haggar turned, her eyes not visible under her hood, but sharp and focused on the new Emperor. She stopped herself from scoffing.

"Everything I do is for the good of the Empire."

"Oh, I have no doubts, naturally," assured Lotor lightly. "However, I'm not sure if you realize, that my dearest father is currently laying on his deathbed, and I am the one Emperor until this situation... resolves."  
He looked at Haggar, that stood there, not even flinching.

"I can assure you, my lord, that your father will get better. Until that happens, of course, I pledge myself to you." Lotor scowled slightly at the sound of something... not quite genuine her voice. He sighed exaggeratedly.

"Alright then. I understand that you'll inform me of any other progress in our research facility in Telis system." He tilted his head expectedly. Haggar froze.  
Lotor's hand found a panel under the table, and when he pressed part of the wall shifted and moved back.

Two other cats bared his teeth at him.  
Two identical to the one trapped in the cage.

"I'm warning you, witch." Lotor's voice was suddenly serious and dangerous. "There's a new era incoming for the Garla Empire, and you would be wise not to get in my way."

With those words he turned and exited Haggars chambers, escorted by her flaming gaze, and three, exactly the same, pairs of cat eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Shiro looked in the mirror, looking for something that wasn’t there. Some kind of hint, what exactly made him feel so uneasy and out of place, but he failed miserably, once again. Since he escaped the Galra, again, something was off, and so far the Black Lion was apparently the only able to notice.

Headache started again, light, but still painful enough to get on his nerves.  
He felt dizzing mizture of anger and fear gripping his heart, as he looked at his mechanic hand.

Galra had already taken so much from him, made him feel weak, and out of control, and now, loosing the sense of himself, he suspected who was to blame.

Shiro squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm his nerves. _‘It’s still you’_ He breathed in and out, clenching and uncleanching his fists. They took so much from him, and he wasn’t going to loose anything else. Especially not his own damn mind.

When he got out of his room, his feet carried him by themselves, in search for Keith.

Lately, he was the only thing that could keep him anchored.

~*~

  
\- Keith, please… I’m so sorry, please, I didn’t mean to - Shiro reached out, but stopped himself mid-move.

There was a wound, starting at Keith’s cheekbone and reaching down to his chin. Guilt gripped Shiro’s throat. What had he done.

  
“It’s fine, I should have been more careful.” Keith shook his head, and pulled himself up from the floor of thr training room. They have agreed to spar, just for fun, but when Keith tried to pin Shiro, the second paladin lost control over his hand, just as it grazed Keith’s cheekbone, the violet light iluminated both of their faces. It was… shocking, for his Galra arm to act out like that, and it had never happened before. The damage wasn’t big, but the evidence of his Shiro’s loss of control was clearly visible on other paladin’s face.

Panic setteld in the pit of Shiro’s stomach and refused to leave, however Keith seemed unaffected.

“Don’t worry about it.” He assured, but when he touched his face, he winced in pain.

“We should get you to the healing pod and-”

“Shiro, it’s just a small bruise, it’s nothing, we cant run to the pods with every ache, otherwise Lance would sulk in one for the rest of his life.”

“It’s probably going to scar.”  
Keith put a reassuring arm on Shiro’s

shoulder, who tried not to move away, afraid to cause more harm. “I’m gonna get many more of those before all of this is over.” Their eyes met, and there was no resentment on Keith’s part, and for some reason, it concerned Shiro even more. He wasn’t worthy of this amount of trust. Especially not after this.

“Shiro…” Keith started, dropping his hand, and averting his gaze “…is everything alright?"

~*~

Purple lights of powered down Black Lion reminded him of Galran ships, and a knot tied in his stomach.

Him and Keith were sitting inside it, on the floor. A private place to talk. For one Black Paladin to another. But Shiro haven't felt like such anymore, and it made him feel even worse. Lack of Black's presence in his mind confirmed his suspicion. He was an intruder.

Keith beside him also looked also uneasy, and Shiro knew that he was blaming himself for offering this as a spot where they could talk.

The bruise on his cheek was even more visible now, and when looking at Keith's pale profile lit only by the dim light of Black's cockpit something else settled in Shiro's stomach. He did not want to dwell on the feeling.

Keith himself wasn't looking at him and his posture was tense, he was visibly struggling with his thoughts.

He was never good at the chick-flick stuff, and despite sudden headache this thought made Shiro smile.

"I'm sorry I couldn't find you earlier." Oh. So that's what that was about. "I tried. I really tried, even when they thought it was pointless I kept looking I'm... sorry."

Guilt flowed over Shiro. Keith was having a hard time, fining new place on the team, learning how to lead and now he was also blaming himself for whatever was wrong with Shiro. The confession was apparently all the other paladin could muster because he looked at Shiro with something dangerously close to desperation in his eyes.

"Keith. You're the last person I can blame for anything, buddy. You did an amazing job taking care of the team, I know that this couldn't have been easy." Shiro smiled, reassuringly, aware of the warmth now apparent in Keith's eyes, but also radiating from his body. The longing he felt suddenly became too heavy. "I-I'll get better. You've saved me after all, huh?"

There was something, unnaturally easy, about saying those words while being with Keith like that. There was something unnaturally easy about exploring the longing he was sure they both felt, in the privacy of Black's cockpit.

So easy, looking into Keith's stunned eyes, and reaching out to touch his hand.

Almost too easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm away on holidays, but I rly wanted to post next chapter so here it is

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything (esp. in english) in forever.  
> This is gonna be a wild ride.


End file.
